2 Chapter 1 Cold Small Town_3

Ah Dai didn't seem to understand the girl's meaning. He took out a half-eaten steamed bun from his bosom, hard as a rock, and passed it over. He said earnestly, "Girl, here, eat this. Once you're full, you won't feel the pain."

The girl looked at the foolish yet genuinely sincere boy in front of her, accepted the steamed bun, sobbed for a bit, and asked, "Ah Dai, why are you so kind to me?"

Ah Dai pulled the girl into a corner, took off his ragged cotton jacket, draped it over their shoulders, and snuggled with her. He said naively, "Was I kind to you? Eat the steamed bun quickly. After you eat, it won't be so cold. I have to go catch some fish." As he said this, he watched the half of the cold, hard bun in the girl's hand with longing.

Looking at Ah Dai's naive face, the girl was somewhat dazed. She broke the half of the steamed bun into two pieces, and gave one to Ah Dai.

Ah Dai swallowed some saliva and said, "I'm, I'm not hungry. You eat it."

The girl stuffed the bun into Ah Dai's hands, saying, "My appetite is small, I can't eat that much. Let's eat it together." As she said this, she bit hard into her quarter piece of steamed bun.

Ah Dai gobbled down the quarter of the bun, accidentally choking from eating too fast. He coughed and sputtered.

The girl couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of Ah Dai's face turning red from choking. She patted his back and put a handful of snow from the ground into his mouth.

Ah Dai managed to melt the snow into water and swallowed the dry bun with effort. After taking a deep breath, he patted his chest and said, "Thank you!"

After a while, the girl finally managed to chew her way through her own piece of bun. Suddenly, she blurted out to Ah Dai, "Ah Dai, after I grow up, will you marry me?"

Ah Dai was taken aback. He spent a while trying to understand what 'marriage' meant, and finally stammered, "What does 'marry' mean?"

The girl sighed softly, "To marry means I want to become your wife, taking care of you for a lifetime! I'll take this as your agreement. You can't take it back, okay? From now on, I'm your fiancée. You better treat me well."

Ah Dai nodded, "Fiancée? Alright then, I'll give you a bit more of the steamed bun every day."

The girl rolled her eyes at him, falling speechless.

After a while, with the help of the cotton jacket, the girl was much warmer. She draped the jacket back over Ah Dai's shoulders, urging him, "Ah Dai, you need to hurry up and catch the fish. Otherwise, Uncle Li will scold you again. I... I'll come with you."

Ah Dai nodded and helped the girl to her feet, asking, "Girl, why is your technique better than mine, yet you always give back the fish?"

The girl sighed, "Ah Dai, don't you know that stealing is wrong?"

Ah Dai shook his head, "But, but if we don't catch fish, we'll starve!"

The girl knew that it was no use trying to explain to this silly boy. So she simply stopped talking, took Ah Dai by the hand, and headed towards the busiest part of the City of Nino. Only there would they find the best marks. The girl silently decided that today, no matter what, she would help Ah Dai catch some more fish to thank him for his kindness.

Not long after they left, a voice called out from behind them, "Young girl, wait!"

Ah Dai and the girl turned around at the same time. In front of them, there was a fancy carriage, from whose window emerged the face of an elderly woman. The girl recognized her – it was the woman whose purse she had returned.

"Little girl, it really is you!" The old woman's face burst into a surprised smile. The carriage door swung open and with the help of a servant, the elderly woman stepped down from the carriage. Her clothes were luxurious, something Ah Dai and the girl could never imagine, and she was cloaked in a mink shawl.

The girl was somewhat uncertain, "Ma'am, can I help you?"

Thinking that the old woman was about to cause trouble for the girl, Ah Dai quickly stepped in front of her, watching the old woman warily.

The old woman spoke with a warm smile, "Children, don't be afraid. Little girl, you gave me back my purse earlier and I haven't thanked you yet. Why are you dressed so lightly in this cold weather?"

The girl shook her head, "No need to thank me, I was the one who stole it in the first place."

Ah Dai was frightened. Though he was somewhat slow, he knew only too well what would happen if one was caught stealing. He quickly covered the girl's mouth, cautioning her, "Girl, don't talk nonsense."

The old woman didn't order her servant to attack the girl like Ah Dai imagined, instead she continued smiling warmly, "Then why did you give my purse back?"

The girl brushed off Ah Dai's hand and said bravely, "I saw that you seemed very worried, so I returned it to you. Please don't trouble him, if you have to punish someone, punish me."

The old woman smiled slightly, "Indeed, you're a good and honest child. I know, you didn't steal because you wanted to. Where are your parents?"

The girl's eyes reddened, "I don't have any parents, I'm an orphan."

The old woman furrowed her eyebrows and sighed, "Such a good child like you shouldn't have to suffer here. Come, come here, let me take a better look at you." As she said this, she gestured for the girl to come closer.